Ugochukwu Iwuchukwu
The Supreme Court has fixed March 5, 2021, for judgment for three Appeals brought before it by the All Progressive Congress APC in Rivers State.
The three Appeals are All Progressives Congress vs Dele Moses & 10 Others, Igo Aguma vs All Progressives Congress & 2 Others and Dele Moses vs Victor Giadom and 4 Others.
It will be recalled that the Mai Mala Buni-led APC Appealed against the High Court judgment that declared Igo Aguma as Acting Chairman of APC Rivers state which High Court judgment was upturned by the Court of Appeal.
During the court proceedings, Emeka Etiaba SAN, lawyer to Igo Aguma sought the nullification of the judgment of the Court of Appeal which set aside the Judgment of Justice Omereji of the Rivers State High Court which declared Igo Aguma as Acting Chairman of the APC in Rivers state.
He further sought for the dismissal of the preliminary Objections by Counsel to APC Tuduru Ede SAN against the Appeal for incompetence and lack of merit because it violated the rules of the Court and that the preliminary Objection should be allowed.
Emeka Etiaba SAN in the hearing today at the Supreme Court further canvassed that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the Appeal because being a pre-election matter, it was filed out of time and judgment delivered out of time.
He further argued that APC through its Counsel wants the Supreme Court to believe the judgment of the Supreme Court on Ibrahim Umar was made in error and should be reviewed. He sought the nullification of the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
On his part, Tuduru Ede SAN, lawyer to APC argued that the Appeal had nothing to do with pre-election.
He sought the dismissal of Igo Aguma’s Appeal for lacking in merit.
He further argued that the issues canvassed in the matters bother on the intra-party dispute and that the internal party dispute mechanism was not exhausted by the Appellant.
He argued that the Appellant cannot hinge his argument on Pre-election because his emergence was premised on his granted relief by the High Court declaring him Acting Chairman of the APC in Rivers state and not through an election.
Tuduru Edeh SAN urged the Court to dismiss the appeal and uphold the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
The Supreme Court after hearing all sides adjourned all three respective Appeals to March 5, 2021, for judgment.
